MV Donerail,
the former Danish Nordhval was built in 1924 by Burmeister
& Wain's of Copenhagen, Denmark. She was 4473 gross tons, 8320 deadweight
tons, with a length of 380 feet, nearly 54 feet wide. Her twin screws driven
by two 6-cylinder diesel engines produced a rated speed of 11.0 knots, pretty
paltry for a ship named after the 91-1 longshot winner of the 1913 Kentucky
Derby. Donerail was but one of many foreign ships taken over by the U.S.
Maritime Commission in 1941, placed under Panama flag, and named after famous
horses. On December 9, 1941, she was unarmed.

MV Nordhval

Her opponent that day was a Japanese
submarine, I-10 (seen at right). This was a New Junsen Type A1
submarine laid down in January 1939 and completed in Oct. 31, 1941. Displacement
2,919 tons surfaced, 4,149 submerged, length 373 feet, 2 diesel engines,
12,400 horsepower. Her rated speed was 23.5 knots surfaced, 8 knots submerged,
with cruising range of 16,000 miles at 16 knots surfaced, and 60 miles at
3 knots submerged.

I-10
carried 18 torpedoes for her 6 torpedo tubes, boasted one 5.5 inch deck
gun, and one Yokosuka E14Y floatplane in a hanger forward. (The floatplane
disappeared earlier near Suva) Her official diving depth was 330 feet. Her
destination was the U.S. coast near San Diego.

The Donerail was sailing from
Suva, Fiji to Vancouver, Canada, and was about 200 miles southeast of Hawaii
when she nearly rammed a surfaced submarine. The sub made a crash dive to
avoid a collision, then resurfaced. The Japanese torpedo missed, but the
7 shells did not. One of the shells hit the starboard lifeboat, swung out
for lowering, which held the passengers -- two women, 4 men and an 18-month-old
boy. None survived.

The 24 survivors of the attack,
managed to take to a metal lifeboat. It was badly holed by shrapnel, but
they plugged the holes with clothing and debris. Much of the emergency food
supplies were ruined as the boat took on water to the gunwales. For one
week they tried to head to the Hawaiian Islands, but gale-force winds were
against them. They decided to steer southwest.

The first night 4 men died of
their wounds. On the 14th day Captain Pii, taking his turn
at the makeshift tiller, fell overboard. He managed to reach the life jacket
thrown him, but the wind and waves did not allow the boat to reach him.
One by one the men died of wounds and starvation. For 38 days and about
2,500 miles, they lived on flying fish, a large bird that landed in the
boat, biscuits soaked by salt water but still edible, canned milk, and rain
water caught with a sail. One day they snagged a log covered with small
shellfish.

On the 38th day the 8 still alive
sighted an island, but the currents were such that they would have to row
to reach shore. Fortunately, they were sighted by the natives of Tarawa
and 10 canoes brought them safely ashore. (Japanese troops had been on Tarawa,
but left) . From Tarawa they went to the island of Nanouti, and finally
reached Suva, Fiji, where their voyage originated, on March 18, 1942.

I-10 sank many other Allied ships
during her long career at sea. I-10 sunk on July 4, 1944 by Anti-Submarine
action of U.S. destroyer David W. Taylor (DD-551) and destroyer escort Riddle
(DE-185) east of Saipan.

Survivors

Last

First

Position

Hometown

Homestate

Age

Gejl

K.

Chief Mate

Denmark

55

Petersen

A.

Third Mate

Norway

41

Brunn

Sigfred K.

Radio Operator

Denmark

26

Christensen

A.

2nd Engineer

Denmark

34

Solberg

K.

Oiler

Norway

22

Hjersted

E.

A.B.

Denmark

19

Kenstrup

E.A.

Chief Cook

Denmark

27

Chambers

Murray

A.B.

Edinburgh

Scotland

38

Crew Killed

Last

First

Position

Hometown

Homestate

Age

Aas

Christen Hjalmar

Messman

Oslo

Norway

22

Beck [Bech]

Jørgen

4th Engineer

Thorshavn

Denmark

23

Berntzen

Arne Ingmann

3rd Engineer

Flosta

Norway

27

Christensen

Karl B.

Chief Engineer

Skanderborg

Denmark

39

De Cavelle

J.

Carpenter

Unknown

Belgium

39

Handeland

M.

Engine Department

Unknown

Norway

36

Hannus

E.

O.S.

Unknown

Finland

19

Hansen

Lorentz Egon Lauritz

Seaman

København

Denmark

22

Helland Røst

Ingvald

Bosun

Trondheim

Norway

Holm

Einar

Electrician

Brooklyn
[Åsane Bergen ]

NY
[Norway]

39

Holmberg

A.

Messman

Goteborg

Sweden

21

Johannessen

Erling Willy

Oiler

Drammen

Norway

19

Knudsen

Marius Olav

Messman

Hisøy

Norway

24

Koivula

I.

O.S.

Unknown

Finland

27

Kvaerne [Kverne]

Kolbjørn

Engineer

Sem

Norway

23

Lorentzen

Arne Johan

Seaman

Nesna

Norway

24

Lunde

Sverre

Messman

Larvik

Norway

17

Lyons

Jack

Assistant Steward

Unknown

Australia

20

MacKenzie*

James Wallace

Fireman

Vancouver BC

Canada

40

Mathiesen

Frede Dalgaard

Chief Steward

Unknown

Denmark

24

Nielsen

Haakon

Wiper

Nakskov

Denmark

35

Nielsen

Jens

2nd Mate

Hillerød

Denmark

32

Pii

Niels Fr.

Master

Charlottenlund,

Denmark

62

Rendle

John Mackay

Purser

Wellington

New Zealand

26

Roest

M.

Bosun

Unknown

Norway

50

Severwright

W.

A.B.

London

England

52

Tan Veen

D.

A.B.

Unknown

Holland

46

Passengers Killed

Last

First

Nationality

Board

Miss E.R.

Australian

Bozier

Mr. H.J.

English

Morrison

Mrs. F.E.A.

Canadian

Morrison

Master W.G.

Australian

Tremlett

Mr. C.J.

Australian

MacKenzie*

Mr. J.W.

Australian

Stuart

Mr. D.D.

American

*MacKenzie is listed as crew
by Commonwealth War Graves Commission and The Canadian Merchant Navy War
Dead Database, but as passenger by Registrar of Shipping and Receiver of
Wrecks, Suva, Fiji. Source differ regarding number on board.